Evolution of the Matrix
by Genius-626
Summary: Sequel to "Evolution of the One." Neo and Dessa and both having strange dreams, someone in the Matrix is calling to them, but who? The war has now spread to the Matrix, instead of man vs. machine, its Red vs. Blue.
1. A Mystery

**A/N: Hey Matrix fans! Back in the habit for round 2! This is a sequel, so I'm pretty sure none of this will make sense to those of you who havn't read the first story "Evolution of the One." **

**Special thanx to Meise for ****inadvertently** reminding me that I was writing a sequel in the first place :) Please enjoy.

Chapter 1:

Blinded by the white light; deafened by the silence. It was cold; bitterly so, like the walls in that rather large, rectangular room were made of snow. There is a lone figure standing very still in the center, hands behind his back; orange sunglasses perched delicately on his nose.

He looks very young.

Suddenly, a flash. And another. The child is no longer so composed. It looks like he's screaming, but there's no sound. The flash keeps coming, but the boy is still standing in the middle of that room, staring.

"_Help me, creation, the illusions are suffocating me."_

Whispers. Mere whispers singe the heart; the soul.

"_Help me."_

Neo's eyes opened wide as he forced himself awake, his muscles relaxing once he realized how tense they were. It only took a moment to adjust to the welcomed darkness; to the familiar warmth beside him. He sighed.

"Same dream?"

He heard Trinity's voice in the comforting silence.

"…Yeah." He managed, closing his eyes and taking measure of his own breathing, too tired to roll over and meet Trinity's eyes. He felt her encircle her arms around him, holding him close from behind. She knew how scared he was of these news dreams, the only ones he'd ever had before being visions of the future—a devastating future at that. These were more like messages, but from whom?

Not only was she concerned for Neo, but for Dessa as well. She'd been having the exact same dreams, and so far, in the same instances as well. Father and daughter would often talk through the night via radio, Dessa having just last year joined the crew of the new ship, the _Knight_.

"Exactly the same dream?" Trinity asked as she took one of his hands in hers, knowing what calmed him.

"Yes." He replied. He was glad he was able to open up to her about these supernatural visions, having learned that telling her helps, never mind how little it solves. "The same boy in a white room saying the same things."

_Help me._

"Do you want to contact the _Knight_?"

He nodded, knowing she didn't need to hear him say it. The last time either had talked to Dessa was an entire week ago.

Having her leave the _Sophia _was an interesting transition. They knew she wanted to experience working independently—which meant, without her parents watching her every move—which made sense to them, she was almost twenty years old, of course she needed space. (Although, if she really needed that much space, she'd move out of their apartment in Zion, but neither parent was complaining...yet.)

They hadn't met the _Knight's_ captain, Ciricia, until its maiden voyage, (which was extremely unnerving for Neo especially, the term "maiden voyage" alone putting him on the edge, it permanently reminding him of the _Titanic_.) At least Tomb was with her, he at least was used to helping her around the ship in her wheelchair.

Of course, Morpheus was going through the same emotional exchange, one even greater, probably. The fleet was now fully engaged with the growing crisis at hand—the "Blue Party," as they called it, fully protesting against the "Reds" in the Matrix—Niobe had to resign from co-captaining the _Sophia_ to captain the newly built _Logos II. _Not only that, but with the lack of experienced crew members dispersed throughout the fleet, the limit for crew members was six. Victor was moved to the Logos II while Adrastros was recruited, Ghost and Sparks signing on after a few years of training novices at the Academy. Acantha was then recruited to the _Knight _along with Tomb and Dessa.

At least Link signed back on as their chief Operator instead of some new face.

"I'll go with you." Trinity said, and they both got up, headed for the core.

…

Dessa rolled over and groaned as she eased out of her unpleasant unconsciousness, inadvertently waking up Tomb in the process.

"Sorry." She half grumbled, still a little ticked off that she had the dream again. She thought this might help her insomnia, sharing a cabin with Tomb, and it had for a few days, until now.

"It's Ok. " Tomb answered, taking her hand that was now almost comically splayed across his chest, trying to suppress a smile. "It was the dream again, wasn't it?"

"Yeah…" She was about to elaborate when she remembered in her half-asleep state that the only people she had told about the dreams were her parents. "Wait, how did _you_ know about that?" She quickly went through the possibilities in her head. "I don't talk in my sleep, do I?"

"No," Tomb almost laughed, "Before we shared my cabin I'd follow you to the core whenever I heard you leave. The first time was out of curiosity, the next few were for my own sake. I knew you weren't going to tell me anything."

"Stalker."

"I'm your bodyguard; it's almost the same thing."

"Yeah, _unofficial_ bodyguard appointed by my dad, _half-metal_."

"Irritable."

"Only in the morning."

Before either could continue their pointless banter, the ship's red-alarm went off.

"What the—" Dessa sprung up with her arms, momentarily forgetting about her years of not being able to walk. They'd never gotten a red alarm before. Tomb got out of bed and quickly wheeled her chair over, helping her into it. The rushed to the core without even concerning themselves with putting their boots on.

When they reached the core, Acantha was at the feed, watching intently as Ciricia was jacked-in. The other members of the crew, Shosti and Pachelbel, ran in not too long after.

"What the hell happened? Why is Ciricia jacked-in?" Shosti shouted.

Pachelbel, momentarily being the smarter of the two, which was rare, went over to the controls and turned off the alarm as well as opened up the holograms. It showed three sentinels coming at them, and fast.

"Sentinels! But…how?" Pachelbel said in utter shock. In all his years of peacetime operating, never had he even thought he'd be in the middle of a sentinel attack.

"What?" Dessa tried to pull herself together, too many thoughts clouding her mind. Looking at the hologram and seeing their coordinates, she tried to sense them. It was a threatening presence, but she could feel something. She knew this was something only her father was able to do, but maybe she could figure it out on the job. She concentrated, seeing the mechanical waves and flashes in her mind's eyes, finally reaching the sentinels. Their language was blocked and encrypted. Was this something her father was able to decode? No, these sentinels were different; controlled by…something else

"Must be rouge. I don't know why or how, but they are." She wheeled in Acantha's direction, the entire crew surprised and yet passively accepting of Dessa's apparent leadership skills. Shosti watched her intently, seeing if she would actually make commands without his consent. As second in command, he was obligated to take control and lead under protocol, but protocol was never something he cared to remember. Only in a time like this was he reminded that if anything were to happen—especially to Dessa—he would be permanently suspended from the fleet. _Not here, not now. Not when I have so much to avenge. _

"Acantha, how close is Ciricia to an exit?" Shosti said, trying to take control of the situation.

"Not close enough, there's no way she'll make it!"

"Not if I can help it." Dessa retorted, wheeling herself to her usual jack-in chair. After she locked the wheels, with all the strength in her arms, she hoisted herself up and swung her weight on the chair. "Get me in there!"

Both Tomb and Shosti took high offense to this demand, Shosti speaking first. "As ranking officer, I can't let you do that."

"I'm Ciricia's only chance of survival, Shosti! I can get her out!"

"And what if you're both in there when we have to blow the EMP?"

"Then don't launch it until we're out!"

"It's not that simple, D!"

He remembered then that she'd never been in a sentinel attack before. He had, but only once. It was a devastating feat, four deaths in less than a minute. He was only eighteen; that experience alone had driven him to resigning from the fleet for the rest of the war. Until now.

"Pacho, contact the nearest ship before—"

Just then, the monitors flashed warnings of a security breech and a satellite down. _They're in now, goddammit_. _And we're trapped. _

"_Let me in, Shosti_!"

"You're staying here!" Tomb spoke up, taking her shoulders as if to ground her. Shosti looked from Ciricia to Dessa indecisively, not having a clue of what to do. All he knew was that he wasn't going to lose his captain _and _one of the most skilled soldiers he'd ever seen, not to mention the daughter of the Goddamned One.

…

"_Damn it_." Neo cursed under his breath. "Where _are_ they?"

The _Knight's _signal was shot and they couldn't be found on radar. It was a complete mystery.

"The only reason they'd be off radar is if they blew the EMP." Link said, trying to start conversation.

"But…why would they have to?" Zak spoke up, asking the question that was clearly on everyone's minds.

Link took one more look at the radar and got up from his chair. "I'm getting Morpheus."

Morpheus, for once, was also somewhat at a loss. "We have to look for them. Contact the _Element_, the _Logos II_ and the _Hammer_, see if they know anything from the _Knight_."

Link nodded and got to work.

Neo turned to leave, his eyes filled with unrelenting concern. He didn't notice Trinity's watchful eyes on him as he walked in the direction of their cabin, thinking that she'd be concentrating on the information, or lack of it, that they were seeking while contacting the other ships. Once he was gone from her sight, Trinity looked back at Link and Zak, Clash now awake and wondering why everyone was up. She followed Neo's path, eventually finding him leaning on the wall just outside their cabin, as if we were too weak to open the door.

This weakness almost scared her, but not because he was so affected by Dessa's disappearance, but because she _wasn't_ as affected. She stared at him for a moment, knowing exactly why she wasn't afraid.

Neo wasn't completely oblivious; he knew her silent swiftness all too well. He turned his head as to look at her sideways, seeing her in the corner of his eye. She moved in front of him, taking his face in her hands and resting his head on her shoulder, having him lean on her instead of the wall.

She drew him close and whispered in his ear, feeling his arms wrap around her neck, a hand tangled in her hair. "I know she's alive. She has to be. I'm worried, too, but…" she trailed off, remembering all those years ago when all she did was worry about her lost child, somewhere alone in the Matrix. A strong part of her didn't want to worry anymore; didn't have the energy to worry, especially when she felt so deeply that she was in fact alive.

Neo leaned back, wanting now to see her eyes. They stared for a moment, sharing their feelings without talking; restoring each other to equilibrium.

The next week was dedicated to finding the _Knight_.

They'd searched to where they'd last contacted the ship and went from there, trying to find a possible trail or even clues of their being there. They checked as many routes as they could within the range they estimated possible. They were about to send Neo and Trinity into the Matrix to see if the Oracle had answers when the _Knight_ finally broke radio silence. Both Morpheus and Link were on watch that night, a voice abruptly interrupted the silence.

"This is Acantha of the _Knight_. Do you copy?"

Morpheus was the first to reach the head set, Link at first surprised at his speed, but then found it predictable.

"Acantha, Thank heavens."

"Dad?"

"Where are you?"

That was the only question he pressed to know, habitually knowing that the explanation for their disappearance would be better explained in person and by a ranking officer.

After she gave him their coordinates, she couldn't hide her fear. "Daddy, we were attacked by _sentinels_."

"_Sentinels_?" Link exclaimed, stunned. "That's _impossible_!"

Although Morpheus didn't favor that word being spoken of any situation, he found himself more or less agreeing with the statement.

"Daddy?"

"Casualties?" Link pressed, not having the headset or else he would've asked himself.

"Were there any casualties?" Morpheus relayed.

"Yes. Ciricia and Pachelbel. They're dead. It's just me, Shosti, Tomb and Dessa."

Morpheus and Link were left stunned a second time. Link then sprung up from his chair, headed towards Neo and Trinity's cabin to relay the news.

The _Sophia _was up and running very early in the night when they found their invisible ship. Morpheus decided that they board the other ship to observe what possible damage it had acquired. Neo couldn't quite care less about the logistics of their situation; the only thing he was interested in was seeing Dessa with his own eyes.

When they boarded the ship, they were surprised by how much damage three sentinels had caused. The machines had entered through the cock pit and tore up what was between them and the core. The core itself was completely ripped apart, but nothing much else was touched after that.

"Pachelbel destroyed two sentinels and was killed by the third." Shosti retold Morpheus. He noticed Neo waiting patiently beside Morpheus and Trinity, who were actually listening to him, although Trinity wore the same kind of detachment in her eyes. He was used to their subtle signs of emotion; he used to rely upon after he'd been unplugged. He supposed his willingness to bend the rules was what he gained from being freed by Morpheus, but he could never master the art of subtlety that was Neo and Trinity.

He pointed with his thumb to the mess hall, looking at Neo. He felt the turbulence as Neo passed. He looked back to the two officers of the _Sophia_. "Acantha destroyed the last sentinel with the same gun, nearly lost her life she was so close to the thing."

Morpheus was taking the information in waves. Pride, fear, horror, and pride again. How would Niobe react to this? He was grateful Trinity was somehow in the right state to ask questions.

"What happened to Ciricia?" she asked.

"Killed inside the Matrix." Shosti answered, his arms crossed. "She was jacked-in—and I don't know how she did it—Acantha said when the red alert went off, she was in the Matrix with no Operator. We didn't see what happened, but she died before we blew the EMP."

"So we have no idea why Ciricia is dead, how she jack-in in the first place or why sentinels decided to attack." Trinity stated, frustration lining her tone.

"We'll have to investigate." Morpheus noted.

"We can see if any of our Detectives know anything about it." Shosti suggested, the "Detectives" being a new branch of Reds that remain in the Matrix to gather information for the fleet. Trinity had actually started that program, partly because she felt sorry for all the lone detectives she had to end up killing or whom committed suicide after failing to find her.

"We can consult with the Oracle as well. " Morpheus added. "Neo and Dessa need to see her as it is."

Trinity nodded, knowing exactly what he meant.

Acantha appeared from the direction of the med bay, a bandage wrapped around her hand. Morpheus went to her without much thought, immediate concern riddled through his mind.

Trinity took one last glance at Shosti. They stood there for a brief moment, Trinity taking in how much he'd changed throughout the years. Although he's grown up, he still had amazing amounts of learning to do.

"Can someone help me rewire this?" Link said from underneath the last remaining console. Shosti answered, nodding Trinity a temporary goodbye as he walked in Link's direction. Trinity then made her way to the mess hall when she met Tomb half way. She instinctively reached out, Tomb the equivalent of the son she never had. He hugged her, still loving the feeling of belonging that humans possessed. He was more human than machine now.

"How are you?" He asked. They hadn't talked months, so the statement was relevant.

"Better. This last week has been so…"

"I know." He said. "I was beginning to worry if we'd ever find a way to contact you."

"How did you do that, by the way? Contact us without power?"

"Dessa and I made a radio out of one of the sentinels. It took us a few days, but we managed."

"How is she?"

"See for yourself."

…

Neo found Dessa sitting alone on the metal bench, her wheel chair just beside her and a metal cup of water in her hands. She looked up, relief now taking both of them. He sat next to her and they embraced, her arms just as tightly wrapped around him as his were around her. Neo took extreme comfort in not only knowing she was alive, but knowing she was now in the safest place possible.

"Dad, those sentinels, I couldn't understand them. It was like they were _possessed_. And Ciricia, I think she had secrets."

Neo sighed, not having a clue of where to start. So he changed the subject. "I don't know what's happening." He admitted. "Did you have the dream again?"

"Yes. Did you?"

She felt him nod and kiss the side of her face. What did this all mean? "Where do we go from here?" she heard herself say.

"Morpheus wants you both to go to the Oracle. As soon as possible."

This answer took them both somewhat at surprise. They both turned to see Trinity standing in the doorframe, gazing at them.

"Mom!" Dessa couldn't contain herself, wishing she could walk over to her. Knowing this wish all too well, sadness only reflected in Trinity's eyes for a moment before she went over to sit next to her small family.

"As soon as possible?" Neo repeated.

"I'd say we're a little overdue for a visit anyway." Trinity replied.


	2. Dead Men Tell No Tales

**A/N: Ok, not nearly as long as the first chapter, but there's a lot of information here. Haven't been able to write fan fiction, like, for two weeks, and I didn't even have all that much time this weekend, but I had to write **_**something**_**. Anyway, hope you enjoy :)**

**Also, I just realized the Oracles significant absence in Evolution of the One! Damn, but I can't really think of how to change it, so I'll just make up for the absence in the sequel ;)**

Chapter 2: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Although Neo was accustomed to seeing Dessa in the Matrix, on her feet and as active as she used to be, it always warmed his heart to know that she could walk here if not in the real world.

They walked the hallway to the Oracle's apartment, both taking comfort in the fact that the building was restricted from _Prophesy_ worshippers, Dessa's name having made its way into the "New Chronicles." It was amusing to know that so many people in the Matrix were enraptured in the texts and stories about the real world, but at the same time were hesitant to be freed.

…

On the roof of the neighboring building, two figures stood, waiting for the prodigies to enter the Oracle's apartment. One figure held binoculars to his eyes, allowing him to see through walls.

"Remember what the boss said?" the other spoke.

"Yes. Wait until we know what they want. If they're suspicious, we go in."

"Do you think he'd mind if we…got involved anyway? Even if they didn't want to know what happened to their captain?"

"…no, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

…

"Why, hello, what a nice surprise." The Oracle said happily, seeing father and daughter walk into the kitchen together. She was sitting at the counter, cigarette in one hand, a cup of tea in the other.

"How can you be surprised if you know we're coming?" Dessa retorted.

"A year of living with the Oracle when you were younger and you still don't understand her?" Neo questioned.

"It's Ok, honey, she was never in the mood for listening back then." The Oracle said, now taking a sip of tea.

"Still isn't." Neo joked.

Dessa smirked up at her father; she was a good enough sport. She then remembered the urgency of their visit. "We're here for a few reasons. The first…"

"Our visions." Neo finished.

The Oracle nodded.

"What do they mean?" Neo asked suddenly, his quick reply the only sign of anxiety he allowed to show in the Matrix.

"Are you really looking for the meaning?" The Oracle answered with another question, taking in another puff of her cigarette. "And if you knew it, would it really matter?"

Dessa decided to speak up, unsure of where the conversation was going. "Are you saying that the meaning isn't important?"

"Not now, it isn't."

Dessa thought a moment, knowing that her father was probably on the same page if not ahead of her. "I think you're saying…" She began tentatively, "that there's something else we need to know or do before the meaning would do us any good."

"You're on the right track kiddo." The Oracle said, smirking. She looked at Neo for a second, remembering a time when Neo was this inquisitive. "It takes time to understand the choices that you've already made." She now saw Dessa's slight confusion. "Don't worry, you're dad will have to fill you in on choice another time."

"So," Neo began, taking Dessa's shoulder, silently agreeing that he would relay the knowledge as soon as possible. "Can you tell us who exactly keeps sending us these messages?"

"That, I can do. His name is Peace Keeper. He's been here since the first AI prototype first walked this planet. He was created to override any program or system that decided to rebel." She took another drag from her cigarette. "You can see how well that went."

"So…" Dessa said, "How…if humans thought that far ahead, how did any…of _this_ happen?"

Neo tried to suppress a smile, amused at his daughter's choice of words. "What happened to the Peace Keeper?" he simplified her thoughts.

"He was imprisoned." The Oracle replied, her tone a bit darker.

"Like the Key Maker?" Neo confirmed more than questioned.

The Oracle didn't answer at once. "Worse than the Key Maker, but yes, you've got the right idea."

Neo was almost afraid to ask. "The Merovingian?"

"Yes."

"Damn it." Neo cursed. "He doesn't still have bounties on us, does he?"

"No, not after your sacrifice. But I have a feeling if you do what I know you're going to do, he won't have trouble reissuing them."

Dessa stood in silence for a moment, thinking as the two adults conversed. "Wait." She finally said. "If the Peace Maker is released, can he help settle the protests? Does he have the power to settle the Blue Party?" Dessa was concerned with the Matrix's state. People were continuing to be freed, but the Blue Party was doing all they could to stop people from taking the red pill, completely convinced that the truth about the Matrix was fraud and that the "red pill" was mass slaughter. Controversy was spreading, protests for peace were growing. She thought it ironic that the real world war that had lasted a hundred years because of a lie was finally over, yet another is kindling in cyber space with knowledge of the truth.

The Oracle shook her head. "It's unknown to anyone what the Peace Maker is exactly capable of, but if anything, he can't purely change opinion with a snap of his fingers."

"Well, he has to have some power." Neo said. "He's imprisoned and he's still able to contact us, no matter how short or disturbing the message."

"They're so real." Dessa added, referring to the visions. "They're always so cold." Then, Dessa remembered, a flash of death igniting her memory. "What happened to Ciricia?"

The Oracle sighed. "Yes, but it's not pretty." She paused, looking at Neo, knowing this would affect him more. "Ciricia has been communicating with her brother."

"Her brother, the hacker who was convinced the Matrix didn't exist?" Neo asked, incredulously. "Her brother, the Blue Party leader?"

"The very same." The Oracle said a bit gravely.

"Oh snap." Dessa said under her breath, somewhat instinctively, having not known anything about Ciricia having a brother, let alone one with power.

Neo's mind became overwhelmed with questions. "What has she been telling him? How long has she been doing this? How did she die?"

…

Trinity and Shosti were both watching the feed, listening in, neither having said a word since Neo, Dessa, and Morpheus were plugged in. Trinity decided to speak up.

"You didn't have any idea Ciricia was so involved?"

"Not a clue." Shosti replied solemnly. He glanced at Trinity, her gaze still glued to the feed. He remembered her stare like nothing else. She and Neo were two of the most intense people he had ever met, especially when looking out for each other. He didn't know whether it was the fact that they were the first two real people he had ever met or if it was just so.

"What was it like? Death?"

Trinity didn't turn; her face didn't change. No one had ever asked and he could tell that she was thinking about what to say.

"…it was brief. We didn't feel the time pass, but we were together. Then, when the time came, I felt the same feeling I felt when I was dying, that same feeling of slipping away. And then I woke up in the Matrix."

Shosti listened intently; respectfully intrigued. He looked back to the feed, automatically seeing Neo and Dessa's code. It was very similar, although Dessa had both nuances of Trinity's code as well as the new code that enabled her to do certain things Neo can't as a first generation Chosen One.

"I don't think those Sentinels were rouge." Trinity said suddenly.

"No? Then what were they?"

"Dessa said that she didn't recognize their language; that it was encrypted.

"She's never talked with a Sentinel before, she might not have known how."

"True, but I trust my daughter."

Shosti sighed. "Yeah." Faint memories flickered in his mind, but he willed them away.

Trinity turned to him this time, knowing what she had triggered. "Do you ever watch her?"

"Always." He replied without thought. "But…as much as I want to, I know it isn't right to meet her. Not to mention against regulation. But…how could Ciricia have been contacting her brother without any of us knowing? How could she have done it without guilt? She's one of the tightest rule followers I've ever worked with."

"Love can make you do some crazy things."

"I believe it. Coming from you."

Silence.

"What do you think her brother knows? What do you think she told him?" Trinity wondered out loud.

"She could have told him _anything_ for all we know."

Just then, a voice came on from the radio. "This is Niobe of the _Logos II_, do you copy?"

Trinity answered it. "This is Trinity, I copy. We've got the remaining crew of the _Knight_ with us."

"We're heading in. We'll be landing in a couple minutes." Trinity could hear her faint laugh on the other end. "How are the boys?"

"Fine, in the Matrix on a visit to the Oracle." She sighed. "We've got a bit of a mystery on our hands. I'll fill you in when you get here."

"Roger." They broke the connection.

"Trinity?" Shosti said. She turned. "Do you think Pachelbel knew anything? Do you think they were working together?"

"It's a possibility." She answered. "Too bad dead men don't tell tales."

Just then she spotted two terribly familiar figures emerge from the Matrix. Shosti doubled back when he saw it, the two phasing through walls like nothing.

"What the hell is that?"

"Not 'what the hell.' Who." Trinity replied, typing away. "Get Link, we might need him for this."

The younger second in command got up and ran towards Link's chambers.

"Morpheus?" Trinity said once he picked up his phone from inside. "We've got trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Morpheus asked calmly from inside the Oracle's apartment, cookie in hand.

"The Twins."

"…that _is_ trouble."

"What do we do? Run or find out what they want?"

Morpheus heard a knock on the door. "Well, I suppose we might just have to stay and see what they're here for."

**CLIFFHANGER! Yeah, my favorite! Thanks for reading and as always, stay tuned :)**


	3. Old Enemies, New Tricks

**A/N: Well, finally! *face palm* This update took way too long. Sorry it's short, but I have more planned, I promise...to the three of you reading, that is :p **

**Enjoy and expect more.**

Chapter 3: Old Enemies, New Tricks

The door was kicked down easily, the wood chips flying through virtual space in an explosion of power. The cookie was effectively knocked out of Morpheus' hand and out the near window, tumbling to its untimely waste. Morpheus guessed that the two had been given upgrades, also guessing that their intent had been to make him hypothesize such things. Best not to overthink this, however.

"Knock—"

"—Knock"

Their voices were just as mockingly toneless as usual.

"Who's there?" Morpheus replied in a low, assertive, slightly mocking tone. His back was to them as he glanced at them sideways, gun firmly in hand and ready to fire, round black sunglasses shining in the light from outside. Although, he had no idea exactly how much damage he could inflict with such a weapon, remembering the difficulty he had had in eliminating them last time.

"Your future." One said.

"Yes, your demise." The other said.

Morpheus nodded. "I do not believe you to be the bringers of such fate. Though, I know it is not me you are after."

The two looked at each other, then back at Morpheus and said in unison; "Oh really?"

…

"Oracle." Seraph walked in, having been warned by Morpheus about the Twins.

"I know. Don't rush me." She replied, getting up from her seat without haste. "Relax, I'm getting old."

Neo turned to Dessa. "Go with them."

Dessa put one hand on her hip and met his line of vision. "Dad." Her tone implied just how ridiculous she found his request to be.

He tried to smile, knowing the potential fatality of the situation as well as the impossibility of dissuading his daughter from running away from a fight. "Well, Trin won't approve, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind taking a step into our past."

"You've met these guys before?"

"Oh yeah." He said, smirking at the memory of a door being shut in his face, then ending up in the mountains. Just then, he heard gunfire and the sound of shattering glass. "Yeah, Trin's not going to be happy about this."

He immediately took the lead by stepping into the other room.

…

"What are they doing?" Trinity exclaimed, her voice louder than she'd wanted it to be. Shosti jumped in slight surprise, but recovered before she looked his way. Link was now at the ready, his eyes on the feed, analyzing the crew's location.

"Strength in numbers." Shosti shrugged, earning a halfhearted glare from Trinity.

"Dessa has never met anyone like these henchmen. And since they were probably illegally reloaded, they most likely have upgrades."

"They have upgrades." Link confirmed, typing away.

"You saying you don't have faith in your own kid? You just said you trusted her." Shosti said, half of him regretting he'd said it the instant he did, the other half wanting to know the answer, especially from a loving mother he knew her to be.

"That's different." was her quick and sharp reply. "My amount of faith in her doesn't matter here. When it comes to her, faith has nothing to do with my worry. I've lost her once, and almost lost her more times than I wish to count." Looking at him, her voice softened. "It's a complicated love to explain. Though, it's not complicated at all, to us."

"To you and Neo?"

"To parents."

His head dropped, shame reaching him again. "Is it like that every time she's in there?"

"Yes." She answered evenly, knowing why he was so down cast, her eyes staring at the codes she knew to be Dessa and Neo. "I'm sorry."

"You…"he started, his eyes darting back up to the feed. "…of all people should not be apologizing, least of all to me. You and Neo were the people who showed me that people actually matters. That family matters. But by then, it was too late."

Trinity honestly sympathized with him. They'd pulled him out at 18 years old, and by then, he'd sired an illegitimate child. He hadn't cared about her then. He hadn't cared about love or life or other people, but he was brilliant and knew that there was more to life than the world he'd been raised in. She was flattered that she and Neo had influenced such a person; made him believe in love so much that he mourned the separation between he and his unknowing child.

Trinity put a hand to his shoulder, neither looking at each other, both intensely watching the feed as impossible acts unfurled before them.

…

Once they entered the living room, it was evident that Morpheus and the Twins had jumped out the window in chase. Neo instructed Dessa to follow his lead as he jumped, easily landing four stories below. Neo pulled out his phone.

"Link?"

"Yeah, Neo."

"I need a car, they're heading toward Blue Party territory, you know how it is."

Lately, they'd have to be careful when run-ins like this lay in Blue barriers, unrest among the Matrix the exact opposite of what they were after. The police and military were, however, on their side, had been since the revolution-somewhat of an effect from the Virus infestation of years past.

"Roger that." Link replied. "Waitin' for you in the garage."

With Neo driving, though Dessa was now more than qualified to do so, they followed the sound of gunfire, and soon, police sirens. Once they caught up, just the sight of Neo warded them of a greater fight. They stayed close, oftentimes helpful in the aftermath of such supernatural events.

Though policemen around this area were already used to things, missions like these were rare now, old enemies having faded into the depths of artificial freedom, manipulating the laws of the Matrix for their own protection-which hardly caused any problems if they kept to themselves. This mainly applied to the Merovingian, who hadn't actively attacked any member of the fleet or the general human public since the revolution. These goons were a complete mystery.

"So, these guys worked for that rich guy whose wife you were forced to kiss once? In front of mom?" Dessa asked as they parked rather abruptly, having reached the general area of the now grounded chase, Morpheus and his pursuers having entered a building.

"Yes." Neo said evenly, almost completely in an untouchable mood, his sights on getting Morpheus out of danger. Just then, he saw Morpheus jump across the street from the roof of a building, the Twins just starting to glide their way over to him.

"And you killed these guys during the revolution?" Dessa pressed on.

"Thought we did. Morpheus blew them up. I've never fought them before." They both got out of the car. "This should be fun."

...

Morpheus couldn't deny that he was at a loss. He could dodge their blows and even take a hit without much recoil, but making a direct hit was now increasingly more difficult than it had been the last time they'd encountered. He couldn't decide whether the cause of his disadvantage was their upgrades or his advancing age. It may well be both.

The option of running had been smart in the beginning, getting them away from the Oracle an automatic priority. The notion that they were likely after him surprised him immensely. Unknown plans of their apparent reconstructor was obviously something to fear if one feared anything, especially the unknown. But fear was not something Morpheus cared to succum to often, especially not when it concerned his own life. There were better thing to worry about. All he could do was wonder as he let fate decide his future, letting himself make up his own mind about the present.

He needed a new plan.

Never did panic set in; never did his faith in Neo as well as his own abilities waver, even in the face of such challengers. He came up to the roof and ran to the edge, looking down ten stories, then glancing up to the next building an entire block away. Before the Twins ghosted their way through the ceiling and onto the roof, he jumped, making a thud of a landing on the next roof, though keeping on both feet and rising gracefully. He looked back, the henchmen quickly gliding their way to him. Poised, he jumped again once they were halfway across to him.

They spun around, realizing that he had them trapped in a pickle, having realized that they could only glide so fast.

"Should we test something new, brother?" One twin asked the other.

"Yes, I believe it is time."

Just as Morpheus believed he had confused them, they vanished from thin air. His eyes widened in disbelief. Were they invisible? Were they code jumping?-an art that he knew only Tomb and Dessa were capable of, Tomb being a human agent, his counterpart having invented the ability, and Dessa able to do so using her superior genetics.

They appeared before him as solid beings, tackling him to the ground with a knife before they were thrust back by Neo. Having never fought them, Neo was surprised when they ghosted through his assault halfway to the ground. He broke his fall by landing on his hands and twisting back to his feet in one swift move. He looked over to Morpheus, wounded and unable to stand. Dessa flew up in turn, eyeing the ghosted figures.

"Cool trick." She said, vanishing from sight. They did the same, leaving Neo and Morpheus to stand in silent suspense. They could only imagine what could possibly be happening in the hidden realm of the Matrix. Neo walked over to Morpheus and kneeled next to him as Morpheus took out his phone and calling Link, knowing the sheer and tentative worry Neo possessed for his daughter.

"Link, are you seeing this?"

"Yes and no, sir. I saw them vanish, but I lost them."

Morpheus suppressed a curse. "Look for them and call me if you see anything unusual." He hung up.

…

Minutes past since they'd last seen Dessa and the doppelgangers disappear. Trinity sat unnerved while Link tried to locate possible areas where they could have transported to. Tomb had just emerged from the hanger, having just met with the recently landed _Logos II. _He immediately noticed the distressed look on Trinity's face, going to her without a word.

"Tomb," she said, her hand reaching for his shoulder, her eyes remaining on the feed for a moment before glancing up at his eyes. "We're going in." She looked at Shosti. "If we can't help find Dessa, we'll consult with the Detectives. Maybe they'll have a lead on who the ghosts were reconstructed."

"Or a lead on what Ciricia's brother knows. How much she was involved." Shosti said, nodding them to the chairs as he got up to help jack them in. "Or what that sentinel thing was about."

"They won't know anything about the sentinels." Trinity said, typing away at the control panel. "Though I know one person who might be able to patch us through to 01."

Shosti nodded knowingly. "Well, at least Smith's on our side now."


End file.
